Week + Weekend #2

4/20/10 - 4/25/10 Team Training.

This week/ weekend we successfully completed runthroughs at the canter multiple times. It was very pleasing. Of course, there were imperfections throughout, but only small details. It was tons of fun! Pally was so good, especially on Sunday for our last runthrough. He was so easy to vault on! I am so proud of that horse, I love him!

First, I'll tell you a little bit about our week... Tuesday was a compulsory day - Serious concentrated work on the horse and barrel. We really worked on our flight (handstands during the scissor exercise) and on our stands. We've got to be very concentrated and steady during our compulsories - we take time to visualize what we need to work on before we get on the horse, and then really focus on certain things once we're on. Comps have to be sooo perfect! Perfect practice makes perfect! All the same for freestyle! Wednesday, we only worked on the barrel, pin-pointing our choreography. Thursday was the first of our multiple run-throughs. We worked on the freestyle a lot on the barrel, did a lot of run-throughs, and then took it to the horse. SUCCESS!!! After the horse, we returned to the barrel and worked on the things that needed to be addressed. After practice, I went home to celebrate my dad's birthday - Happy (belated) Birthday Dad! Friday, just like Thursday, except the horse work was spot cleaning - work on certain parts rather than a run-through. We went good run on Friday afternoon, followed by some intense stretching! Now for Saturday and Sunday...

The focus of the weekend was freestyle, freestyle, freestyle. It was tiring, but very successful! We listened to our music, let it seep inside of us, and we vaulted to it with expression and passion. I love the strong dance influence that we have on the team! It gives vaulting so much more feeling! On Saturday, we went straight to the barrel in the morning and started to spot clean and choreograph EVEN MORE of the freestyle. Then, we did freestyle, after, freestyle, after freestyle! Lunch, and then more work on the barrel and freestyle parts on the horse. Sunday, DRESS-REHEARSAL! We did a very successful run-through on Palatine. I really think that the audience is going to enjoy our performance!

Speaking of performance, we will be having a F.A.C.E. Team Benefit Performance on May 9th at 5:00pm, at the Stanford Red Barn. If you would like to find out even more about our event, please e-mail me at horsetrayner@sbcglobal.net and/or find our event page on facebook. You can search "Equestrian Performance at Stanford Red Barn." I hope that you will be able to attend and be one of the first to see the F.A.C.E. Team perform in 2010!